LA Tenorio insists Meralco 'did nothing special' against Ginebra in Game Three reversal

LA Tenorio a picture of disappointment after the Game 3 loss. Jerome Ascano

LA Tenorio would rather not fan the flames of the disagreement between coaches Tim Cone and Norman Black that stemmed from the latter calling a seemingly inconsequential timeout late in Meralco’s 94-81 win over Ginebra in Game Three of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals on Wednesday.

Black called for time with 38 seconds left in the game and the Bolts up by 13 points, an incident that apparently didn’t sit well with Cone, who refused to shake Black’s hand after the game.

Asked if he was offended by Black calling a timeout when the game was virtually decided, Tenorio was tightlipped on the matter, instead pointing to the champion coaches for comment.

“Sa kanila na yun,” Tenorio said after the game. “The bottom line is they won the game, so wala naman kaming magagawa dun.”

Another Ginebra player, Greg Slaughter, also refused to dwell on the incident, and instead turned his focus to Game Four where the Gin Kings go for a 3-1 lead.

“That’s over, so we just focus on our next game,” Slaughter said.

Tenorio, who finished with 14 points, three assists, and three boards, against five turnovers, implied that Game Three was theirs to lose, only to allow the Bolts go on a late run to pull a game back in the series.

“We expected naman na they will really come out strong and play desperate basketball which is what happened,” he added. “Kinain kami ni Durham, bottom line. We didn't expect Reynel to come out with a good shooting. Again, it’s a game of adjustments pag series so we will adjust for sure.”